While all state capitals have a number of characteristics in common—as symbols of the state, as embodiments of political power and decision making, as public spaces with private interests—Montès does not interpret them through a single lens, in large part because of the differences in their spatial and historical evolutionary patterns. Some have remained small, while others have evolved into bustling metropolises, and Montès explores the dynamics of change and growth. All but eleven state capitals were established in the nineteenth century, thirty-five before 1861, but, rather astonishingly, only eight of the fifty states have maintained their original capitals. Despite their revered status as the most monumental and historical cities in America, capitals come from surprisingly humble beginnings, often plagued by instability, conflict, hostility, and corruption. Montès reminds us of the period in which they came about, “an era of pioneer and idealized territorial vision,” coupled with a still-evolving American citizenry and democracy.

1                Capitals: A New Light on American Cities and Territorial Processes
2                Capitals as Places of Memory
3                Geographical Patterns in the Migration of Capitals
4                In Search of Explanatory Models
5                Capital Choice and the Balance of Power
6                Evolution of State Capitals to the 1950s: The “Purgatory Years”
7                State Capitals since the 1950s: The Renaissance of Forgotten Cities
8                Validating Models through a Chronological and Concrete Analysis: Three Case Studies
9                Losing Status: The Place of Former Capitals in Today’s America
10              State Capitals Today: Symbols of American Democracy
 
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1: Demographic and Historical Tables
Appendix 2: A Brief Chronology of Colonial, Territorial, and State Capitals
Notes
References
Index